Beguinage

And to that extent, they are standing in a long tradition running right through the medieval period in which successive reforms have taken the Christian life from the monastic heart to which it had retreated in the wake of the collapse of Rome and brought it further and further out into the life of the of the world.

And so you've seen this through the, the, you know, the mendicant movements in the 13th century and then the, you know, the Beguinages and the, you know, Diversio Moderna and the lay pieties of the 14th and 15th century.

And the, the great Renaissance humanists, Erasmus most prominent amongst them are, are pushing for a further expansion still.

So in that sense, there's a, there's a real continuity with the, with the, with the medieval period.

The town is intersected by canals and presents a curious mixture of ancient houses with their gable ends turned towards the street and modern houses shining with white paint and green blinds.

In the evening, we attended service at the Beguinage.

It is a large enclosed space surrounded by the little houses of the Beguines, the convent or mother house occupying one end.

The sisters can leave to be married and return in widowhood.